March 2018
The explosive growth in the e-commerce market has challenged distribution centers to meet demand. Read the March cover story to learn how to make warehouse logistics - Faster. Smarter. Safer.

W.W. Cannon makes a mark in material handling
Eileen SchmidtMonday March 19, 2018 For eight decades, W.W. Cannon has been making a mark in material handling and storage equipment industry. The Dallas-based business was founded in 1938 by Bill Cannon and his brother Jack. The family sold the business in 1993, and in turn, ...

Are you a social sales pacesetter? Or are you losing business to one?
Jeffrey GitomerMonday March 19, 2018 Here are a few questions to get your social sales juices flowing:
Why are big companies interested in big data?
Why are formerly non-social companies suddenly scouring and analyzing social data?
Why is "mobile" the new "social?"
Why is ...

There’s more than one way to succeed in a job
Caliper CorporationMonday March 19, 2018 You’ve been gunning for that promotion: working hard, bringing ideas and making yourself visible and valuable to the company. The position you wanted finally opened, and you got the job.
Uh-oh. Now what? The person you’re replacing moved ...

What’s in your projection?
Garry BarteckiMonday March 19, 2018 Why am I asking about your plans for 2018? Because based on everything I hear, read or see company owners are anticipating a strong 2018, and I assume you are too.
What peaked my interest in business planning for 2018 was my attendance at an annual ...

Customer engagement – On the phone
Dave BaiocchiMonday March 19, 2018 Two months ago, I started a multi-part series about how “details matter” in our current business environment. A dealership’s image and ongoing reputation is formed by what customers SEE, how they are ENGAGED, and how they are COMMUNICATED ...

Tuesday February 20, 2018

Client success contributes to RMI 35 year longevity
Eileen SchmidtTuesday February 20, 2018 In over three decades of operation, RMI Corporation has grown from a computer rental provider to a full service business software developer whose products and services are utilized by 6,000-some global users.
The idea for the Avon, Connecticut-based ...

What is anger and how do you get rid of it?
Jeffrey GitomerTuesday February 20, 2018 Ever get angry?
There are three types of anger: 1. Angry at yourself -- the easiest of all angers to overcome.
2. Angry at others-- based on their words or deeds.
3. Angry at the world-- seek professional help.
Anger is disguised ...

Five ways to become a better leader in 2018
Caliper CorporationTuesday February 20, 2018 If your company is looking to grow revenue in 2018 (or if your not-for-profit organization seeks to expand its impact), your leadership team surely has a strategic plan in place. Hopefully that plan includes a talent-building component geared toward ...

CFO’s in 2018
Garry BarteckiTuesday February 20, 2018 We are all well aware that business keeps changing …and changing more rapidly than it has in the past. And by changing we are talking about everything including every procedure and strategy that has been a constant for the last 20 years. I believe ...

Customer engagement policies
Dave BaiocchiTuesday February 20, 2018 In February I started a multi-part series about how “Details Matter” in our current business environment. The image that customers have of us, and our reputation as a supplier is formed in three ways. Customers generally draw conclusions ...

Making warehouse logistics - Faster. Smarter. Safer.
Stephen Cwiak, InterrollTuesday February 20, 2018 With last year’s peak retail season at an unprecedented high, global retailers witnessed the explosive growth of the e-commerce market unlike ever before, challenging their manufacturing and distribution centers to perform to scale in order to ...

Friday January 19, 2018

Round two
Garry BarteckiFriday January 19, 2018 Last month I attempted to provide an industry specific review of the “NEW” tax reform bill. As it turned out the final version did not appear as expected and consequently I had to ask my equipment tax guy, Steve Pierson, to assist with his ...

Thursday January 18, 2018

2018 trends call for tech-savvy, mobile industry
Susan Miller Hellert Thursday January 18, 2018 That question necessitates a multi-layered response. Efficiency, customer satisfaction and technology are at the core of the trends for the next year. As e-commerce, labor shortages and demand increase, so do the innovations within the materials handling ...

Update your marketing efforts in 2018
Eileen SchmidtThursday January 18, 2018 How to best market to consumers in a world increasingly saturated with messaging - through various means in print, digital, social media - is an evolving question.
But there are ways to reach through the chatter and build lasting relationships ...

If you would do it later – why wouldn’t you do it now?
Jeffrey GitomerThursday January 18, 2018 I met a guy on the plane who was an area director for a major shoe store chain. "Suppose I went into your store and the shoe I wanted was out of stock in my size - what would happen," I queried.
"Well, that shoe store has the capability of finding ...

Details matter – What the customer sees
Dave BaiocchiThursday January 18, 2018 With all of the things there are to do in the business day it is inevitable that something always gets missed. Getting the big stuff right is necessary. Without that, we have NO business at all. How much of the little stuff can you miss, and still manage ...

Tuesday December 19, 2017

The main goal at "Save"ty Yellow Products is a simple one - value
Eileen SchmidtTuesday December 19, 2017 But the execution of that simple goal is an extensive one. It means "giving the customer options," said Brandon Gentile, general manager. It means knowing customers well enough to anticipate their needs and "making products that make ...

This place couldn’t survive without me….Not.
Jeffrey GitomerTuesday December 19, 2017 When I was 19, my dad made me production manager of his 75 employee kitchen cabinet manufacturing factory. Before I officially took the job, I worked in the shop at each job, and set production standards based on what I could produce at each station. ...

Hiring for “soft skills” in the robotic age
Caliper CorporationTuesday December 19, 2017 Depending on your level of paranoia, you either think that robots are definitely going to overthrow humanity, Terminator style, or that they’re maybe going to overthrow humanity but it’s too early to tell, Westworld style. ...

Dissention in the ranks
Dave BaiocchiTuesday December 19, 2017 “If you don't make a total commitment to whatever you're doing, then you start looking to bail out the first time the boat starts leaking. It's tough enough getting that boat to shore with everybody rowing, let alone when a guy stands up and starts ...

Waiting on the tax man
Garry BarteckiTuesday December 19, 2017 Here I am attending a Currie Performance Group meeting waiting on Congress to make up their mind about a tax bill spelling out the new simplified tax code that is supposed to save us a chunk of cash we can then spend to provide a spike in the economy. ...

Monday December 11, 2017

The importance of measuring warehouse KPIS and metrics
The Clearpath TeamMonday December 11, 2017 Measuring warehouse KPIs is one of the most critical components of managing a warehouse, and setting benchmarks for production, quality, safety, or service goals is essential. Whether a process is manual or automated, capturing key warehouse metrics ...

The customer, a large corporation, had a challenge.
Eileen SchmidtMonday November 20, 2017 Like many other businesses dealing with an explosion of e-commerce shipping orders, the volume of packages going through the warehouse was becoming problematic.
The packages went through the sortation system, down long roller conveyors in a downhill ...

If your customers are “satisfied,” why are they leaving?
Jeffrey GitomerMonday November 20, 2017 Customer satisfaction is dead.
Oh, there are a bunch of huge companies that haven’t figured it out yet. And there are a bunch of hotels and airlines that haven’t figured it out yet. And some (OK most) will never figure it out.
There ...

Bursting the underemployment bubble
Caliper CorporationMonday November 20, 2017 It’s safe to imagine that if he were with us today, Caliper’s founder, Herb Greenberg, would have a strong opinion on the staggering number of people stuck in underemployment purgatory.
Underemployment, the official term for when earnest ...

Name your top three challenges for 2018
Garry BarteckiMonday November 20, 2017 Before we get into a discussion about 2018 ….I have to say that the November issue of Material Handling Wholesaler was one to the TOP THREE since I have been involved with this publication. The cover story about warehouse technology driving costs ...

Evolving from supplier to strategic partner
Dave BaiocchiMonday November 20, 2017 This month, MHW is highlighting strategic partnerships in the world of material handling. This is a subject worthy of consideration in our marketplace. It’s no secret that customer expectations and demands are growing. As dealers, we can no longer ...

Monday November 13, 2017

Shining a light on rack selectionMonday November 13, 2017 Member-owned public utility cooperative consolidates operations into warehouse with forklift resistant rack
Even before Clay Electric Cooperative sought to build a new warehouse to consolidate maintenance materials from various storage facilities ...

The new manager check list
Caliper CorporationFriday October 20, 2017 In an ideal business world, all companies would have programs to identify high-potential employees and develop future leaders, and upper management would establish structured training programs to help first-time manager’s transition from individual-contributor ...

People don’t fail. Oh, wait. Yes they do.
Jeffrey GitomerFriday October 20, 2017 Ever hear the old saying, “Failure is an event, not a person.” That statement is half right. Failure is an event AND a person.
The bigger statements are: Failure is avoidable. Failure is a lesson — a hard one. No one celebrates ...

Welcome aboard
Garry BarteckiFriday October 20, 2017 No, not a typo. I am not welcoming you aboard my seagoing vessel. I am suggesting a method to improve your operations, better plan for the future and a way to prepare for your transition out of the business. And again, this is one of my “Don’t ...

SOP – The key to efficiency
Dave BaiocchiFriday October 20, 2017 If your fiscal year runs concurrent with the calendar (Jan-Dec), then this is usually the time of year when the management team begins to put together the battle plan for the upcoming year. This is can be a painstaking and arduous process and ...

Warehouse technology drives cost down
Susan Miller HellertFriday October 20, 2017 Warehouse efficiency has always been an integral part of business systems. As costs and competition increase and profit margins decrease, this efficiency has become essential for the continuation of a company’s existence.
Methods of efficiency ...

Wednesday September 20, 2017

BEUMER “Made Different” makes a difference for 40 years
Eileen SchmidtWednesday September 20, 2017 For four decades, BEUMER Corporation has been a leader in the North American material handling industry.
A subsidiary of the global BEUMER Group, the business is part of both a worldwide enterprise and a family-run operation that provides a wealth ...

Delegate authority and don’t interfere
Dave BaiocchiWednesday September 20, 2017 “ Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority and don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided upon is being carried out. ”
- Ronald Reagan
Delegation is many times fraught with difficulty. ...

Fixing your organizational talent gaps
Caliper CorporationWednesday September 20, 2017 Talk is cheap, they say. This is especially true in the business world. For example, have you ever purchased an item from a store that claims “We stand behind our products!” only to discover they have all kinds of arcane refund rules when ...

Spend a little – make a lot
Garry BarteckiWednesday September 20, 2017 There is little doubt that to be successful in the future every dealer on the planet will have to upgrade their operations to include (1) digital systems that apply to all aspects of the business (2) robotics which are sure to become part of every business ...

Women leaders in the heart of commerce
Susan Miller HellertWednesday September 20, 2017 Material Handling: An Important Function of Manufacturing and Logistics.
Each and every item of physical commerce must be transported by means of material handling. A purchase on Amazon, the stocking of Walmart’s or Menard’s shelves ...

Tuesday August 22, 2017

Dealer finances – always a balancing act
Garry BarteckiTuesday August 22, 2017
This month we will discuss Dealer Finances. A topic not nearly discussed enough among C-level dealer personnel.
But before we move on to the topic of the month, I need to relate a couple of my personal experiences related to technology ...

The Jefferds Corporation celebrates 70 years
Eileen SchmidtTuesday August 22, 2017 When employees with the Jefferds Corporation are working with a client, they are never on site simply to push fork lift truck sales. “We like to think of ourselves as problem solvers,” said K. Richard Sinclair, company president and CEO. ...

The Eiffel Tower: An iconic monument and a critical lesson
Jeffrey GitomerTuesday August 22, 2017 We went to visit the Eiffel tower again. Our fourth visit in five years. What do you know about the Eiffel Tower?
When it was built, it was, to say the least, the most controversial structure of all time. Hundreds protested it, criticized it, campaigned ...

Fielding a successful roster through a competency-based approach
Caliper CorporationTuesday August 22, 2017 Previously, we discussed certain advantages to developing talent from within an organization, using Major League Baseball farm systems as a point of comparison. Sticking with the baseball metaphor, let’s look to arguably the game’s best ...

Leading instead of controlling
Dave BaiocchiTuesday August 22, 2017 A leader is best when people barely know he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worse when they despise him. But of a good leader who talks little when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” ...

Thursday July 27, 2017

Business plans, five-year spreadsheets and other fairy tales
Jeffrey GitomerThursday July 27, 2017 I have no business plan. I have no spreadsheet with five years of projected earnings. There are two reasons: Most business plans never come to fruition, and five-year sales projections are about as accurate as political polls.
Oh, there is another ...

Unwrapping the secrets of hiring and development
Caliper CorporationThursday July 27, 2017 In The Mummy, the first entry in Universal’s new “Dark Universe” adventure-horror film franchise, Tom Cruise plays a sort of modern-day Indiana Jones who plunders an ancient tomb housing a mysterious sarcophagus.
Now, Tom Cruise ...

Renting is about profit, not sales
Fred HagemanThursday July 27, 2017 Is your major supplier talking to you a lot more about rental? Of course they are and they know what they are talking about, that’s for certain. Almost every, if not every, manufacturer of construction/industrial equipment knows that more than ...